Making a ‘move’: Movement Mortgage opens new Chelsea office

When Chelsea resident Amber Brittain was initially approached about working for Movement Mortgage, she said she wasn’t interested. But once she found out what the company was all about, she had a quick change of heart.

Working in the mortgage business since 2006, Brittain got her first job in Kentucky where, after two days of training, she did her first loan. She and her husband moved back to the Birmingham area the same year. She spent seven years at Wells Fargo and 6½ years at Mortgage Banc Chelsea [Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp.].

Brittain said she was ready to have a new opportunity to grow, so she decided to go in a different direction. While Movement Mortgage has been in the Birmingham market for the past five or six years, Brittain said they are a top 10 national lender and her former competition.

One of the reasons that led Brittain to make the shift was the philanthropic aspect of the business, which goes beyond just mortgages. She said she has been successful and was ready to shift from a life of success to a life of significance.

“I made the decision to move to Movement Mortgage largely because of the impact we can make by doing mortgages,” Brittain said. “Being 49% owned by a nonprofit, 49 cents of every dollar we make goes back to the Movement Foundation. They are about giving back globally and across the U.S., but also in our own communities.”

The Movement Foundation exists to be a leader in changing the mortgage industry, corporate culture and communities, Brittain said. Their projects are designed to be self-sustaining and include schools, health clinics and housing projects.

Brittain will take her first company mission trip to Mexico in September, where the group will partner with the John Maxwell Foundation to build hope centers. These centers provide people a place to worship, receive medical care and more.

Brittain and her team made the transition to Movement Mortgage in November and moved into their new office location on Chesser Plantation Drive at the end of May. Along with Brittain, the team includes Emily Foote (production partner), Niki Lacey (loan officer) and Aleshia Dodd (loan processor).

She knew they would need a new location, and after looking at four spots in Chelsea, she chose the former Chelsea Creek Baptist Church location. She and her team worked to make the 2,500 square feet a space of their own.

There were no walls, so she purchased movable walls to create private spaces within the conference room. There will be a lounge area with couches and a big-screen television, her private office, a training room and room to grow.

“I'm excited that I will be able to host Realtor events,” Brittain said. “We'll do an event called Breakfast of Champions for Realtor partners, and one called Lunch with a Purpose for our agents. As a branch leader, part of my incentive is to grow the branch and bring on other loan officers.”

With more than 900 homes slated to be built in Chelsea over the next few years, Brittain said she knew there was a need for a local mortgage company to be present and visible in the community now and for future growth, as well.

Brittain’s three children attend Chelsea schools and have been involved in Chelsea sports, which has helped her build local ties in the community. She has done team sponsorships and said she will continue to do so.

“It’s little things to give back and create a name for ourselves, so people will want to call us because we support kids and our kids’ sports in the community,” Brittain said.